So is it really all rosy for kiwi conservation?

According to this article in Wanderlust it is.

Or you can read this article in Northland's Northern Advocate for a different perspective. Please do click on this link and look at the photograph of a pile of dead kiwi.

We need facts and hard truth here.  Too many people in the travel industry are eager to pick up on positive news and then move on, comforted by the knowledge that everything is going to be okay.  Grim, depressing reality and tourism don't usually mix and I just do not buy into the whole "take only photographs, leave only footprints" thing. Both tourists and those within tourism need to be leaving something a bit more useful than footprints. 

This story is about the Northland brown kiwi and, as The Northern Advocate tell us, "The unique Northland brown kiwi lays more eggs per year than other kiwi, and can start breeding at 3-4 years."   In addition, "Northland kiwi are phenomenal breeders, and can withstand reasonably high chick losses yet still have a growing population."

So what about the great spotted and the little spotted, the tokoeka and the rowi?

Or the fact that the little spotted kiwi can only survive on predator-free islands or behind predator-proof fences?

Or that once you would have found it almost impossible to wander through a New Zealand forest without hearing if not seeing a kiwi?

Or that since 1930 the population has seen a cataclysmic crash from 5 million birds to about 60,000?

This is the harsh reality of kiwi conservation and the danger of an article like Wanderlust's, albeit a completely inoffensive one, is that it gives false hope or encourages a misplaced belief that things are just fine and bypasses the fact that there is an environmental war raging in New Zealand.  And it is largely a guerrilla war being fought by a handful of "little" people who care such as Fergus & Mary Sutherland, Joyce Kolk & Johan Groters, Zealandia and Orokonui.

When the population is up to a good million or so, which is still less than 10% of the original population, then I think Wanderlust will be fine to go ahead and publish an article entitled "Kiwi's future could be looking up". 

Wairaurahiri stoat trap 7

And Wendy & Graham add a little bit of Macclesfield to Fiordland.

Wairaurahiri stoat trap 6

Thank you Marion & Keith, excellent work.

Responsible tourists

We already have a handful of stoat traps hiding in the forest along the Wairaurahiri River in Fiordland but the initiative is really starting to move up a gear now.

With our friends and partners in Auckland, ID New Zealand, we are arranging jet boat trips with Joyce Kolk and Johan Groters on the Wairaurahiri River on a not for profit basis with our commission being donated to their stoat trapping programme.  This will fund one new trap for every couple who take a trip down the river and over time we believe it will make a huge difference to the numbers of birds in that part of Fiordland. And maybe the idea will spread...

Stoats are the single biggest threat to New Zealand's rare and unique birds.  Introduced in the 1880s to control the plague of introduced rabbits, even way back then against expert advice, this has proven to be one of the most infamous examples of the foolhardiness of interfering with a balanced ecosystem, especially one as unique and fragile as New Zealand's.  Rather than chase rabbits, stoats find it much easier to hunt birds and chicks with no evolved mechanism for dealing with such a predator and as a bonus the stoat has no serious predators to worry about itself.

The stoat is a beautiful animal and I am always very happy to see them here in the UK but they have no place in New Zealand and they need to be controlled.  It is brutal and unpleasant and it isn't their fault, it's ours.

There are many disturbing statistics related to the stoat but this particular line from New Zealand's Department of Conservation pretty much tells the story:

"Stoats kill an average of 40 North Island brown kiwi chicks per day - this adds up to 15,000 per annum and accounts for 60 per cent of North Island brown kiwi born."

Joyce from Wairaurahiri Jet emailed the above photo overnight and it shows Wendy Houston and Carole & Ray Harris with their very own stoat trap, primed and ready to go out there to do its grim but vital work.

Extreme Recycling..

Just found this odd story about an Argentinian man who has built a house from recycled bottles.

This chap once earned his living sorting through rubbish to find things he could sell, so a stroke of inspiration has meant he is now teaching others to do the same.

(It may just be me, but all the bottles look see through. He must use darker ones in his bathroom surely?)

One man's rubbish is another man's......... house..

Falkland Islands Oiled Wildlife Facility

We and our clients here at TID have made a donation to the The Oiled Wildlife Facility Appeal which is building a new oiled penguin facility on the Falkland Islands to replace the old one which unfortunately has never had electricity or water.

As well as the buildings, proper pools are being built to aid the rehabilitation of the penguins. Species rare in the Falklands, such as Chinstrap penguins, have turned up oiled with other successfully treated species include Gentoo, King, and Rockhopper penguins.

Building permission has been approved and the appeal is going well having now reached over the £8,000 mark. With a £10,000 target, it is nearing its goal but still needs that final push!

It's a vitally important project and a noble cause - click here to go to the site if you wish to help out too.

A kakapo and conservation story to inspire us all

Just read this kakapo story about a 13 year old girl in Los Angeles who has never been to New Zealand but already seems to understand what conservation is all about.

Let's be honest, with so few kakapo left and with its natural habitat seriously compromised throughout New Zealand, in the grand scheme of things the survival of the species, or any species really, is neither here nor there. Doesn't matter, it is about principle and conservation is simply the right thing to do.

It all comes down to money and will again. Natalie's donation is but a drop in the ocean but the will is there and even if she'd only received and given $100 the principle would be the same. Imagine if the people with the real money took inspiration from her and got the will as well.

Hmm, my daughter Maddie was 11 last week and I think it is time for a chat about what she should be doing with her birthday money...

Zealandia correction and tuatara surgery

Richard Fewtrell has emailed me this gentle and modest rebuke in response to my post of 13 June:

"That's very kind of you to talk about me in your blog. I can't take too much credit though; I'm very passionate about this place and our natural environment but the real stars here are our volunteers and conservation staff who spend hours upon hours working in the valley helping us realise our 500 year vision."

And it is some vision. The tuatara, one of New Zealand's unique and very rare reptiles, is part of that vision and extraordinary steps are taken to protect and nurture them as you can see in this story about one of Zealandia's babies.

Action in the Catlins

Our good friends Fergus and Mary Sutherland from the Catlins region of New Zealand have been environmental champions for decades now - sorry if that makes you feel old F&M!!

Many of our clients have enjoyed their company and friendship over the last 7 years and have been inspired by their vision for the conservation of wildlife and nature everywhere and in the Catlins in particular.

We are very proud to support them and have helped with a few conservation projects, most recently the Chaslands Tussock Restoration project. The picture of the information panel below explains the project and there is also a little YouTube video.

The panel now needs to be made and erected and a very generous donation of £100 from our clients and former guests of Fergus and Mary, Lew and Chris Robinson from Nantwich in Cheshire, was perfectly timed and will help to get this done. Thank you Lew and Chris!

Little people and big people

Following on from my last post, Richard Fewtrell at Zealandia has sent me a pair of stories which both illustrate the challenges that face conservation but also celebrate the fact that some are fighting the good fight:

"I think we have a big job on our hands! The day I got back home there was a story on the news about Waituna Lagoon in Southland. It's one of our most precious wetlands remaining but it's under massive threat from dairy farming run off.

More info about the area is here.

It was very depressing.

However there are some glimmers of hope. Just last week in the Dominion Post there was an article about a dairy farming couple in Eketahuna who are being praised for their commitment to sustainable farming.

If only more farmers were like them..."

Making a difference - Zealandia

Our good friend Richard Fewtrell is an eco warrior and a man that we truly admire. There are too few of him, people who see the bigger picture and devote themselves to making a difference, but at least there are a few.

Richard is part of Zealandia in Wellington, a conservation project which aims to restore a little piece of New Zealand to its pre-human state. It is a big job but Zealandia proves that it can be done and if we all take a little share of the responsibility then we can achieve so much more.

I firmly believe that conservation is more about will than money. There is a hell of a lot of cash out there and if we are able to make more people understand why conservation is so important then maybe we will start to see a shift in spending and lifestyle priorities.

At the moment it is all about the "little people" doing their best but if there are enough of them doing it then eventually the "big people" will need to wake up and listen.